


the worst isn’t what’s to come

by williamwheeler



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Boys In Love, Fluff, Love Confessions, el a good sister, i love byler more than anything y’all 🥺, will byers loves mike wheeler with his whole heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-29 04:43:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20076340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/williamwheeler/pseuds/williamwheeler
Summary: will thinks mike doesn’t like him back. el is sick of will and mike being pining idiots and decides be a matchmaker





	the worst isn’t what’s to come

**Author's Note:**

> this was written before season 3 came out so...keep that in mind lol

It had felt like years since Will Byers had been plagued with the Upside Down. The cold, dark world that to everyone else, was nonexistent. Even now, he can’t get rid of the feeling, the fear and terror he felt as the Demogorgon would creep around the demented version of Castle Byers, footsteps cracking tree branches and leaves, low growls echoing into the seemingly never ending woods.

And then, the episodes, the flashes of a pure nightmare, the sky becoming a storm of red and black hues, with a daunting creature looming over Will’s small figure. 

He’ll never forget how real it felt (because, technically, it  _ was _ real), and he’ll never forget Mike’s words of concern, the arm he so casually draped over Will’s shoulder like it was nothing, even though, to Will, it was everything.

And now he’s 15, and with the gate being locked and El having thrown away the key, Will’s biggest worries were whether or not he was going to pass the biology test that was coming next period, or if he would say something stupid during his presentation in world history, or the big one, the one Will never spoke a word about outside of his own thoughts. Mike.

Not just Mike as a person or Mike as a friend, Mike as in someone Will was confused about. Because, Will was almost certain boys were  _ not  _ supposed to feel an electricity run through their body when their best friend  _ ( _ who was a  _ boy)  _ brushes a shoulder or an arm by him, and he’s pretty sure that he’s not supposed to think to himself that Mike is… well…  _ pretty.  _

He knows it’s wrong and he knows that if the kids at school ever found out it would be over for him. They would never shut up about it, and Troy and his other gang of kids that Will never found out the names of would corner him on the daily, spitting out words that no one should even dare to say.

So, you could say, Will was confused, but when he turned to see El facing him telling him that she thinks Will likes Mike with a tone as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world, Will knows he’s  _ fucked _

_ “ _ W-what?! El, what are you talking about?” Ever since Joyce and Hopper had moved in together, El acted as a sister to Will, and they became extremely close, especially because they dealt with many similar things. The upside down, and, well, feelings for Mike.

To everyone’s surprise, El was the one to end the relationship with Mike. She believed she wasn’t ready and the thought of something so serious made her nervous. Mike seemed understanding,  _ too  _ understanding, relieved even, as if El was taking the words right out of his mouth. And secretly, Will was relieved too.

“You always stare at Mike like he put the stars in the sky.” Her comment snaps Will back to reality and he embarrassingly jumps up out of surprise.

He scoffs, somehow trying to make it seem like that’s bullshit, like Mike means nothing more to him than any of his other friends. Despite El’s lack of a full vocabulary -though, she has made really good progress with Hopper’s teachings and English class in her schedule- she is incredibly intelligent and can see right through Will’s admittedly pathetic attempts at hiding his feelings. He’s not even in the closet anymore, he’s standing outside of it and the door is wide open.

El shakes her head and rubs a hand through her hair that is now down to her shoulders. She stares Will dead in the eye and says nothing more than “Tell him. It will be worth it”, before walking down the hall and disappearing into a classroom. As Will walks into his own, he doesn’t have time to try to even comprehend what El meant, because the teacher is already passing out tests, requesting silence from all the students. But when he tries to read the first question asking him to describe the greenhouse effect in detail, the words become a blur and his thoughts take over instead. 

Not only is El unknowingly taunting him with the words “it will be worth it” hanging in the air, too high up for Will to grab and attempt to decipher, but Mike is in this class with Will, next to him, completely unaware of Will’s internal struggle that is entirely  _ about him.  _ He almost thinks Mike should be grateful he doesn’t know.

Will shakes his head, as if that means anything to anyone around him, and begins to fill out questions, getting increasingly more anxious as he realizes just how many questions he doesn’t have a full answer too. By the time the teacher collects them, Will knows most of the answers are half-assed and he’s going to get a 70% at most. Right now though, that doesn’t matter. He looks over to Mike, who notices Will’s glance and gives him a smile in return that makes Will’s heart leap. He smiles back and returns his attention to the front of the class and copies down the notes that are on the board. Will silently wishes telling Mike how he felt about him was as easy as effortlessly copying down notes that are prewritten for all the students to see.

When Will finally gets home, El by his side, he decides now is a good time to ask her what the  _ hell  _ she was talking about. Apparently, El did too because they speak at the same time.

“So what did you mean b-“

“Earlier I meant that Mike-“

Will laughs, gesturing for El to speak first, because right now he’s not really sure he knows what to even say.

El clears her throat and speaks again, and the words escape her lips like it’s such a simple concept, like it shouldn’t make Will’s heart completely explode in his chest and his knees feel so weak that he feels like he’s going to fall to the ground.

“Earlier… I meant that Mike really likes you Will.” She smiles a tentative smile to him.

Will is speechless. He has no idea what to say and he wonders if this is some sick prank, like Mike is going to pop out from around the corner and say “Just kidding! Ha!” because there’s absolutely no way Mike is even attracted to boys, or  _ Will _ of all people. The weirdo who got stuck in another dimension.

“What? How do you even know that?” It’s almost more like a plead than a question.

El shakes her head again, and says “He told me, Will. After we broke up.”

Will has so many questions.  _ Did you guys actually break up because he likes me? Did it upset you when he said that? What if he’s joking? Is he even gay? What if he doesn’t like me anymore?  _ His head is spinning and the world feels like it’s in slow motion.

“He told you?  _ You _ ? After you broke up? I’m confused.” He trails off, not quite understanding the situation.

El sighs, the smile not leaving her face. 

“When we broke up... we also did it because we did not like each other in the way couples do. It was the right thing to do. And Mike said he wanted to be honest with me, so… he told me he liked you, and that he was scared you wouldn’t feel the same. He said he thinks you’re too good for him.” 

Will is completely in shock. How the  _ fuck  _ is this not a dream? Mike, his crush, the most caring boy in the world, and one of the most attractive people he’s ever met, likes him? And not only that, thinks Will is too good for him?

“He said that?” Will’s mind is racing, thoughts running around it and worries chasing close behind.

El nods. “He did. You have to tell him Will. Don’t hold back for too long or it’ll be too late.” 

Before Will can even speak on his behalf, El is ushering him out of the door.

“Wait, what are you doing?!” The cold of December is turning his hands to ice and he can’t help but shiver.

“You’re going to his house and talking to him.” She says simply. 

“What?! I can’t just do that El, he’s probably busy!” He moves to walk back inside but she’s blocking the way, legs and arms making it impossible for Will to even attempt to squeeze through.

“He’s also your best friend. He can make time for you. How long have you guys known each other? Like ten years now?” She replies, a smirk spreading across her face.

Will sighs, deciding El is probably not going to let him back inside. He shakes his head and gets on his bike, giving El one last goodbye with a hint of ‘what the hell are you putting me up to” in it. 

When he arrives on the Wheeler’s incredibly large front lawn, Christmas decorations of all kinds covering every square inch, his heart is pounding. He wants to turn back, to go back home and just tell El he can’t do it. But he knows she won’t let him. 

He walks up to the house and knocks on the door, praying that it’s not one of Mike’s parents that answer. To his slight relief though, it’s Nancy, a welcoming look on her face.

As if it’s some memorized routine, Will doesn’t even have to speak, because Nancy says “Mike’s in his room”, before allowing him inside. 

He smiles, and heads upstairs, quietly, like he doesn’t want Mike to hear him even though he’s gonna end up talking to him anyway. When he sees Mike’s door, it hits him all at once. What he’s about to confess to will change everything. Mike will never think of him the same way again, whether that be in a good or bad way. 

He inhales deeply, somehow trying to calm himself down. He  _ has  _ to do this.

He gently knocks on Mike’s door, and he answers it, a book in his hand that he seemed to have been reading.

“Hey Will! What’s up?” He asks, gesturing for Will to sit next to him on the bed. He smiles, and feels the mattress dip beside him as Mike sits close by.

“I wanted to, to uh, tell you something?” He doesn’t know why it came out as a question. It’s not like Mike has any kind of answer.

When Mike’s expression shifts into worry, Will quickly sputters out “It’s nothing bad though!”, and Mike nods.

He realizes he doesn’t have a way to preface this or any words to lead into what he’s about to say, so he has no other option than to just say it.

“I like you Mike. Like- like more than a friend.” He doesn’t break eye contact with him, though right now all he wants to do is hide and run away, to never see Mike again and face the embarrassment of rejection. As he, for some reason, prepares himself for the worst. But, the worst isn’t what’s to come.

Mike’s expression shifts from confusion to pure happiness, and a smile that could have lit up the whole room forms on his face. 

Mike seems at a loss for words, because he instead practically crashes his lips into Will’s, and the first thing Will notices is that this kiss feels so goddamn right. Like it’s something he’s been waiting for all his life. The second thing he notices is that they’re kissing for a while and he really hopes he’s not a bad kisser. But honestly, he can’t even worry too much right now, his entire body has butterflies swarming angrily inside of it and his heart is pounding so hard he feels like the entire house can hear it.

When they finally pull away, breathing heavily, smiles on their faces speaking all the words that they don’t need right now, Will is mentally thanking El, and he catches himself staring at the love of his life, who this time, is staring back. 


End file.
